Legendary Raiders owner Al Davis and his impact on professional football cannot be minimized. The team's larger-than-life figure was a self-made man who grinded through the coaching ranks and eventually became the AFL commissioner and the owner of the sport's most iconic franchise.
He endured no shortage of legal battles as he went toe-to-toe with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and moved the Silver and Black throughout the state of California. But Raiders fans always respected him for winning, going to bat for the organization, and giving chances to people from all walks of life.
Davis was the first NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach in Tom Flores, a female chief executive in Amy Trask and a black head coach in Art Shell. He was also a big supporter of women's sports and was one of the first to invest in and scout players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
When Davis passed away on October 8, 2011, after nearly 50 years with the franchise in every conceivable capacity, Raider Nation felt like a part of themselves died that day as well. The following day, however, Davis did the team and fan base one last courtesy.
Al Davis helped the Raiders win with his "Divine Interception"
In Week 5 of the 2011 NFL season, the Raiders clung to a 25-20 lead against the Houston Texans. After a Shane Lechler punt with just two minutes remaining in the contest, Matt Schaub and the Texans' offense were marching down the field for the game-winning score.
Houston eventually found itself on the Oakland five-yard line with just six seconds left to play. They'd have one shot at scoring a touchdown and winning the game. Otherwise, the Raiders would escape with an emotional road victory one day after the passing of their great owner.
Unfortunately, with the game hanging in the balance, the Silver and Black made a mistake substituting players, and safety Jerome Boyd was on the sidelines instead of on the field. This left the team with just 10 players on the most critical snap of the contest.
Schaub dropped back to pass, but defensive tackle John Henderson quickly got pressure up the middle, so the Texans quarterback was forced to evade the pocket. While it initially looked like he had the space to run for a touchdown, safety Tyvon Branch closed the gap in a hurry.
This caused Schaub to flick the ball toward the goal line in a last-ditch effort to win the game, but safety Michael Huff came down with the interception as time expired. The Raiders won, and they did it with just 10 players on the field. The 11th, they say, was Al Davis, who helped with the "Divine Interception."
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The players quickly realized the significance of this moment, as the spiritually-influenced victory was the perfect homage to the man whose iconic quote about just winning lives on in Raiders fandom.
“We only had 10 helmets on the field, but it was definitely 11 men out there,” cornerback Stanford Routt said. “It was definitely 11 men out there.”
"It was very strange,” said quarterback Jason Campbell. “To be short one guy on the field? Mr. Davis had a hand in that."
Schaub later told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez that "Greater forces were at play that day,” for his book, “100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” A Texans executive also told him that this was the ending that needed to happen for the Raiders that day.
Davis did plenty of great things during his storied tenure with the Silver and Black, and this was no different. Only one person in the history of football, however, could influence the result of an NFL game from beyond the grave, and that was Mr. Davis, who had a fierce Commitment to Excellence and would do anything to win.